The Argosy — page 237: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

218 The Cruise of the Reserve Squadron. coffee. Here, you murmur, is that Oriental uprightness of character and bearing that has descended to them as a heritage from ages past. We felt that we were in the hands of grave and honest men. There was ‘no mistaking that calm look, the open eye that gazed straight at you and never flinched. We prepared for great bargains. Pyramid, the Commander, Darrille and others had loaded us with com- missions. We were to take them back brass trays from Tetuan, daggers from Tez, steel blades from Damascus, Moorish costumes for fancy balls, hand tapestry for cushions, and I know not what—we should probably get a mule and a Moor thrown into our bargains. The first bazaar we visited was at the bottom of one of these culs- de-sac. We groped up a winding staircase, and found at last quite ‘large rooms on the first floor, crammed with Oriental splendours ; knick-knacks of every description ; carpets, lanterns, swords, abbas ; dresses that would have created a sensation in England; the identical brass trays we were in search of; everything, in short, imagination could conceive. The owners—there were a pair of them—talked broken English that sounded innocent and picturesque. They knew just enough to understand and be understood—and to drive a bargain. A carpet caught our eye; one of those Oriental carpets of many colours and no particular pattern, much affected in these days of Dutch imitation and Queen Anne revival. It 1s a craze, by the way, this ‘“‘revival” in art and furniture, and will go the way of all crazes. The other day a friend refurnished his house from top to bottom, to please his charming but slightly capricious wife. No sooner com- fortably (or uncomfortably) settled, than they discovered the shape of the rooms and the general style of the house to be out of harmony with the furniture. This was unendurable. There was only one thing to be done. MHaving bought the furniture for the house, they must now build a house for the furniture. Lares and Penates were warehoused, the house pulled down, and my friend and his charming wife have gone travelling abroad for a year, whilst a famous architect of advanced views builds them a house on a pure Dutch model to suit their upholstery. One of these admirable carpets caught our eye. It was the very thing to take back to England to some esthetic friend or relative. No doubt over here—in this town of the manners and customs of a thousand years ago—we should get it fora mere song. I can only say that personal experience leads to the conclusion that the broad outlines of human nature are the same everywhere and in all ages, In a thousand years they must, indeed, have undergone less change than the general aspect of the world itself. We enquired the price of the carpet. ‘Twenty-five pounds,” said the dignified Moor, with an inflexion of voice that seemed to protest against a positive sacrifice. “Twenty-five pounds!” we repeated in astonishment. ‘ Why, COMI OO KS COLA